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Bound for another court: Preliminary hearing for Martinez waived

Jan 27, 2013 - The Associated Press

The preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday morning for Luke Martinez, a University of Wyoming basketball player currently on suspension, was waived in Circuit Court and his case has been bound to Second Judicial District Court.

Martinez is charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony. The charge stems from an alleged fight at 2:31 a.m. Dec. 30 involving multiple people outside the Buckhorn Bar.

He is scheduled to appear next for an initial arraignment, though a court date had not been scheduled as of Monday afternoon.

Martinez was a starting guard for the UW basketball team until an injury, likely from the Dec. 30 incident, sidelined him.

He has been suspended indefinitely from the team.

According to an affidavit, a witness reported to police that Martinez kicked a limp and unconscious man, Parfait Nayigihugu, in the face.

Martinez, according to the witness, "kicked him that hard with such force that it made me sick" and that "he booted his face like it was a football."

The fight, according to the affidavit, began when Nayigihugu grabbed a man matching the description of Derek Cooke, a forward on the UW basketball team, by the arm.

Cooke, according to the court document, punched the man, knocking him out.

Martinez then kicked him, according to the affidavit.

In an interview with police, Martinez said Nayigihugu had punched him in the side of the head.

Martinez first told police he "stepped" on the man's head, according to the affidavit. He later said he "stomped" on the man's head before admitting he had kicked Nayigihugu when he was on the ground and could not defend himself, according to the court document.

Martinez, according to the affidavit, had been in a fight before police arrived at the scene.